Hi guys, welcome to the best collections of Kaplan Series 6 Exam Review and Passing Tips.
We promise that by reading this piece to the end, you will be more knowledgeable on what this exam is all about, the preparation courses, practice exams to take and the beneficial tips that will help you pass the exam.
Specifically, we’ll take you through:
Let’s get started.
Introduction to Kaplan Series 6 Exam
Passing the Kaplan series 6 exam is a key requirement for a financial advisor to sell mutual funds, variable life insurance, and variable annuities.
The exam is quite comprehensive. As such, it requires candidates to thoroughly prepare to hit the 70% pass mark.
The preparation requires more than just reading FINRA’s study manual.
Fortunately, there are several Series 6 exam prep providers.
Since we know how challenging it can be to choose the right exam prep course, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you.
We’ll give you a review of Kaplan’s Series 6 exam prep packages.
But we won’t stop there.
We’ll take it a notch higher and cover other Series 6 exam test prep providers.
Kaplan Series 6 Exam: What You Need to Know
Series 6 exam, also known as the Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representative exam, is an entry-level test designed for financial advisors getting started in the financial service industry.
The exam is also sought after by private bankers, investment advisers, and retirement plan specialists.
Series 6 exam is administered by Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
The exam assesses the competency of an advisor in selling security products and guiding clients on investment options.
It tests six areas to ensure representatives have the knowledge required to deliver as investment company and variable contracts products representatives.
The topics include:
- Securities Markets, Investment Securities, and Economic Factors, which have a total of eight questions.
- Securities and Tax Regulations. This section comprises 23 questions.
- Evaluation of Customers. Twenty-five questions are from this section.
- Investment Company Securities and Variable Contracts has 26 questions.
- Marketing, Prospecting, and Sales Representation have 18 questions.
- Opening and Serving Customers Account, which covers 12 questions.
Series 6 exam has 100 questions in total.
The exam takes 2 hours and 15 minutes.
The pass mark is 70%.
The exam was solely offered in-person at the Prometric exam center until 2020 when FINRA incorporated online exams.
If an advisor chooses an online exam, FINRA requires them or their employer to install a camera and specialized software for the exams.
In the in-person exam, the exams are also computer-based.
Students are issued with a calculator, scratch paper, and a pencil before the exam.
The Series 6 exam costs $40.
Students must be sponsored by a FINRA member firm or a self-regulatory organization member firm to take the exam.
Additionally, the Securities Industry Essential (SIE) is a co-requirement for the Series 6 exam.
Furthermore, there’s a continuing education (CE) requirement that financial advisors must meet to sustain the license.
The CE has two elements: the regulatory and the firm.
The firm element is where FINRA requires broker-dealers to have structures in place to maintain the continuing education program.
The regulatory element is focused on the registered representative.
FINRA requires representatives to take a computer-based training session 120 days before the end of the second year of acquiring the license.
What’s more, representatives are required to take the continuing education training every three years thereafter.
Now, this is important. Getting the Series 6 license allows a registered representative to sell variable annuities, mutual funds, unit investment trusts, variable life insurance, and municipal fund securities.
However, a Series 6 licensee cannot sell bonds, stocks, exchange traded funds, options products, and direct participation programs.
Another key area to note is that one will only get the Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products registration if they’ve passed the SIE exam and Series 6 exam.
With such a comprehensive overview of the Series 6 exam, stay with us as we take a step further and talk about the Series 6 exam prep course providers.
Kaplan Series 6 Practice Exam
Kaplan Series 6 exam prep stands out as the most comprehensive study package.
Kaplan has online study packages and in-person classes in select cities for students who need an instructor’s guidance.
The financial education institute has three packages for the Series 6 practice test.
The plans are flexible.
They are designed to fit different learning styles and study schedules.
The basic self-study package goes for $79.
It offers students learning exams tips and content updates, securitiespro QBank, performance tracker, study calendar, licensing exam manual, and practice exams.
With the basic plan study materials, a student can tailor their learning to suit their schedule.
The securitiespro QBank study tool is a gem.
Students can access hundreds of questions and identify any areas where they need to put more effort.
The QBank goes hand in hand with the practice exams, which can be used online or downloaded for offline usage.
The practice exams are designed to help students at the exact point of their needs, depending on which areas they need to focus more on.
The second plan is the essential self-study package that has all the tools that the basic self-study package has in addition to checkpoint exams, midterm exams, and video library.
This package costs $99.
The video library comes in handy in reviewing challenging topics that students find hard to understand.
The midterm and checkpoint exams are additional tests to gauge one’s progress.
Finally, Kaplan has the premium instruction package that takes the Series 6 exam preparation a notch higher.
The premium package is a watertight study guide with class notes, a mastery exam, and an instructor link.
This study plan also has all the study tools in the first two packages.
A student can choose a premium instruction on-demand package that costs $129 or go for the premium instruction live online package at $149.
Kaplan study tools can be bought as a bundle or individually.
Someone interested in unlimited exam attempts can buy the securitiespro QBank that goes for $39.
The QBank can also be bought together with other study tools.
Kaplan gives students five months’ access to the study materials.
Suppose one needs to extend their use.
They’ll have to pay $49.
Kaplan financial education reports a 90% pass rate for first-time Series 6 exam candidates who use their study materials.
Knopman Marks Series 6 Exam Prep Course
Knopman Marks stands out as the best series exam prep course as it boosts the highest pass rate, a staggering 95%.
Knopman’s Series 6 exam preparation course is an all-inclusive study program that costs $150.
The test prep offers a hands-on approach to helping students excel in the exam.
The package has a question bank, a textbook, an ebook, over 6 hours of video lectures, digital flashcards, downloadable supplements, and a mobile app.
The mobile app is one tool that makes Knopman’s study guide exceptional, as it can be used offline.
All Knopman Marks’ students have access to instructors who offer personalized support, depending on a student’s needs.
Students can ask questions at any time.
The instructors follow up on students to keep track of their progress and offer support if need be.
More importantly, students have one year of access to the study materials.
Securities Training Corporation (STC) Series 6 Exam Prep Course
Securities Training Corporation has a good reputation for offering comprehensive securities exams.
The Corporation reports a 95% first-try pass rate to all its securities exams.
The Securities and Training Corporation has three high-quality Series 6 exam practice packages.
All three packages offer access to an instructor hotline, 24/7 tech support, an online study manual, crunch time facts, free course update, and final exams.
These tools are also what make the standard plan, which is $125.
The premier course has progress exams, on-demand lectures, flashcards, green light exams, and the newly introduced STC pass guarantee.
It goes for $175.
And then we have the premier plus course, which costs $250.
Apart from the study materials in the standard and premier courses, the premier plus has more practice tests, more flashcards, live virtual or in-person classes, and recorded live online classes.
This is the perfect prep exam package for those who need a teacher’s input.
STC offers students six months’ access to the study materials.
It also has a mobile app for iPhone users.
Though the Securities Training Corporation doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee, its students who fail the actual exam on the first try are allowed to use the exam prep materials for free.
ExamFX Series 6 Exam Prep Course
ExamFX is yet another Series 6 exam prep provider with everything a financial advisor needs to pass the exam.
ExamFX provides individualized support to all its students.
Students can reach out to instructors through emails throughout the week.
The online simulation exam uses adaptive learning technology.
As a student takes the practice exams, the system tracks the student’s performance and highlights the areas that need further practice.
The adaptive nature of the ExamFX learning portal is helpful for students who are determined to polish their knowledge in each unit.
It highlights areas of weaknesses and tailored practice exams to help students zero in on those topics.
With the 1,200 practice questions, students are consistently challenged throughout the exam prep period.
Besides, the instructors have access to students’ profiles.
As such, they can check up on students’ progress, offer support in their areas of weakness, suggest topics they should study more, and even give tips to get the most out of the study guides.
ExamFX also has a mobile app, which students can easily access to review study materials.
The app particularly comes in handy towards the exam day.
ExamFX has three packages, which students can access for 90 days.
All three of their study packages have instructor support, online exam simulation, and an interactive learning portal.
The self-study package goes for $89.
The second plan, the video study package, costs $129.95.
More than what the self-study package offers, the video study package has online flashcards and on-demand video lectures.
The last package, the live online package, offers live online interactive training.
The package costs $169.95.
ExamFX offers a money-back guarantee to students if they take the ExamFX guarantee exam within three days before the actual exam and score 80% but fail the Series 6 exam.
Tips for Passing Series 6 Exam
Series 6 exam can prove tough, especially if it’s the exam that introduces someone to the financial service industry.
Even for those who’ve done the SIE exam, it could still be challenging.
Therefore, it’s better to prepare adequately and walk into the exam with confidence.
So, here are tips to help a financial advisor pass the Series 6 exam.
Sharpen Your Skills
All the exam prep courses have practice questions for a reason.
The practice questions help students test their understanding, familiarise themselves with the actual exam question and test speed.
Thus, it’s crucial that a student tracks their performance in every practice.
Students can then put more effort into the topics they are not performing well, especially in units that have the most questions in the exam, like the Investment Company Securities and Variable Contracts.
The more a student does the prep exam, the more they sharpen their knowledge and increase speed.
They are more likely to perform well if they have thoroughly reviewed the practice exams.
Arrive Early for the Exam
Nothing is frustrating than getting to an exam late.
Apart from starting late, one will be short of time, and, of course, anxiety levels will definitely shoot.
This, in itself, is a recipe for failure.
To be on the safe side, students should arrive at the exam center early.
They can then sign in in good time, store their stuff in the locker room, take the exam tools such as a pencil, a calculator, and scrap paper.
They can then calmly wait to start the exam.
Flag Questions That Will Take More Time
Series 6 exam is a mix of short questions that are straight to the point and long, wordy ones that might be tricky.
Instead of a student spending ages trying to wrap their head around a question, it is better to flag it and review it once done with the entire exam.
Now, it won’t help if one flags half the exam.
Students should be keen to only flag questions that might require quite some time to get to the answer.
Again, they should balance their time such that they are not caught halfway through answering the flagged questions.
Press On Through the Hard Questions
Students who’ve done the Series 6 exam report that the exam starts with simple questions and gets tough as it progresses towards the middle.
The exam then eases as it winds up to the finish line.
So, suppose a student experiences the same.
There’s no need for panic.
They should take it easy because it’s only a matter of time before they get to the easy ones again.
Don’t Get Back to Change Answers
There are advantages and disadvantages to finishing the exam early.
One advantage is that students can review their answers one more time just to be sure.
Now, if one is not careful, this can be their undoing.
Why?
They’ll start second-guessing themselves.
And that’s where hell breaks loose.
They’ll start considering other answers out of the blues, which is not a good idea if you ask us.
Statistically, the answer one changes are, more often than not, the wrong one.
If there are challenging questions, it’s better to go with the first guess.
And once done, it will be in the student’s best interest to submit and wait for their score.
If a student took their time to prepare adequately for the exam, there’s nothing to worry about.
Conclusion
Series 6 exam is no small fit.
One would need all the help they can get to pass the exam.
The exam prep courses are handy when it comes to meticulously combing through the study manual.
The different providers have different study plans.
Matter of fact, no matter your budget and learning style, you’ll find a study package that meets your needs.
Kaplan, ExamFX, Securities Training Corporation, and Knopman have the best series 6 exam prep courses.
The choice is yours!
